Rope and cable making machine



May 30, 1933. T WOOD ET AL 1 1,911,782

ROPE AND CABLE MAKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l Inventors.

Ji/ttarlugy.

May 30, 1933- T. WOOD ET AL ROPE AND CABLE MAKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Izummlo 715'. 771mm Wovd/ We i mmti oufv May 30, T WOOD ET AL ROPE AND CABLE MAKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 11, 1951 s Sheets-Sheet s lnuenior.

Thomas Patented May 30, 1933 U'NiTED STATES PATENT. OFFICE THOMAS WOOD, OF WEST BRIDGFORD, AND GEORGE HERBERT HOUFTON, OF

MANSFIELD, ENGLAND .ROPE AND CABLE MAKING MACHINE i n t'm filed December 11, 1931, Serial No. 580,366, and in Great Britain December 13, 1930. f i

This invention relates to improvements in rope and cable making machines, and is more particularly applicableto Wire stranding machines. It refers more particularly to that class of machine known as the sun and planet machine, and its object is to provide a construction which is not only more compact and thus occupies less space, but'can be run at a much higher speed than existing machines of this particular type, and therefore has a greatly increased output.

According to this invention, a series of plain wheels or discs of the requisite diameter are mounted on the main horizontal shaft as is usual, butthe wire holding bob bins are mounted in the interior of bobbin housing rings, which latter are mounted in circular openings in the wheels or discs themselves, and are free to turn therein, so that the said bobbin housing rings, if desired, can be held and thus prevented from rotating about their own axes, when they are revolving about the main shaft.

With this arrangement, the axes of the bobbins carried by each wheel or disc, can be located in the plane of rotation of the latter,

and consequently the wheels or discs can be disposed closed together, and the length of a ma'chine, which is adapted to lay a certain number of wires into a strand or a certain number of strands into a rope or cable, is less than that of existing machines with the same facilities. A

WV'e attain this objectby the means illustrated in the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a portion'of a plan View partly in section of part of a rope or cable making machine.

1 Figure 2 is a View insection taken on a line corresponding with line 22 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a viewin section taken on a line corresponding with line 33 of Figure 1. v

Figure-4 is a View in section taken on a "line corresponding with line 14 of Figure 1.

@Refer'ring to the drawings, in the construction shown therein, 1 is the main shaft mounted in a bearing 2 and having a collar 3 which rides on bearing rollers, the collar being provided with passages for the material as it passes to the haul 01f mechanism (not shown).

The main shaft has plain wheels or discs keyed to it. There may be any number of these plain wheels or discs. Two plain wheels or discs 5 and 6, respectively, are shown by way of example. Each of the wheels or discs 5 and 6 is provided with circular openings 7 and flanged housing rings 8 are mounted rotatably therein.

a The number of bobbin housing rings 8 located in each plain wheel'or disc is preferably three, as this permits of-the introduction of bobbins of maximum capacity in a wheel or disc of any given diameter, and an important consideration is to keep the exterior diameter of the plain wheels or discs as small as possible, as this determines to a great extent the speed at which the machine can be run with safety. The number of plain wheels or discs on the main shaft, willof icourse depend on the maximum number of wires or strands the machme is reouiredTto 1 deal with.

The bobbin housing rings 8, mounted in the circular openings '7 in the wheels or discs 5 and 6 are retained therein by their flanges, and the openings 7 are disposed equal distances apart and may be linedwith antifriction metal so as to permit of the housing rings 8 turning freely therein;

The interior of eachbobbin housing ring 8 is' provided with 'slidable studs 11 to engage the axial hole 9 inthe bobbin 10, and the studs 11 "are disposedin theplanes of the rings 8, and in the planes of rotation of the wheels or discs 5 and 6 in which the housing rings 8 are mounted, and con'sequently'all the bobbins 10 in each of'the discs or wheels 5 and 6 are centrally disposed, and their disposition permits of the wheel or disc being accurately balanced, which is necessary when,

high speed is aimed at. The studs 11 slide in internal lugs 12 pro vided on the rings 8 and are moved by means of handles 13 which'project through bayonet slots 141 in the lugs 12, and the studs 11' can be locked inithe projected positions byturning them by means of the handles until the handles engage the peripheral parts of the said bayonet slots.

In order to prevent the bobbin housing rings 8 in the whole of the plain wheels or discs from rotating at the same time as they are revolving about the main shaft 1, the said housing rings 8 are all geared together as will be hereinafter described, and all controlled by an arrangement which is disposed at the back of the rear wheel or disc.

The well known sun and planet or crank gear may be employed for the purpose, but with the construction described, the following alternative arrangement is preferred.

On each of the housing rings 8 in the disc 5, there are provided spider arms 15 carrying a boss 16 to which is secured a stud 17 on which is secured a spur wheel 18, so that the said housing rings are constrained to participate in any rotary movement or absence of rotary movement ofthe wheels 18: The wheels 18 mesh with spur wheels 19 which are rotatably mounted on a bossed disc plate 20 which iskeyed to the main shaft 1 and has bearing bushes 21 for the bosses 16. All of the spur wheels 19 mesh with a spur wheel 22 which is mounted on the main shaft 1 so that the main shaft 1 can rotate independently thereof. The spur wheel has a slotted arm 23 whereby it can be locked to a stationary beam 24 which carries the bearing 2. When the arm 28 is thus locked, it acts through the gearing 22, 19 and 18 to prevent rotation of the rings 8 about their own axes, whilst leaving them free to be revolved by the main shaft 1 and wheel or disc 5. The bossed disc plate 20 also acts to steady the parts which project from the rear side of wheel or disc 5.

In this arrangement the spur wheels 19 and 22 are not provided. This particular arrangement can be applied to existing machines or machines constructed on the usual principle.

In order to couple up the bobbin housing rings 8 of the wheel or disc 6, a loose sleeve 25 is mounted on the bosses of the wheels or discs 5 and 6 or on the main shaft 1 between each of the wheels or discs 5 and 6, and the sleeve 25 is provided annularly with teeth 26 at the rear end, and annularly with teeth 27 at the front end. The teeth 26 gear with teeth 28 on the front of one or more of the bobbin housing rings 8 disposed in the wheel or disc 5, whilst the teeth 27 gear with teeth 29 on the back of all the bobbin housing rings 8 disposed in the wheel or disc 6, lVhere there are more than two plain wheels or discs, the bobbin housing rings of each further disc are coupled to one or more of the bobbin housing rings in a similar manner by means of a similar sleeve to the sleeve 25.

In this manner, the bobbin housing rings in the plain wheels or discs are geared together, and controlled by the spur gear or chain gear or alternative arrangement disposed at the rear of the wheel or disc 5.

The construction is much more compact than that generally adopted, it can be better balanced, takes less power to drive, and can be run at a much higher speed than the existing machines. It is further much safter to work, as there areno parts which project outside the peripheries of the wheels or discs, which have perfectly plain and unbroken surfaces, and consequently will not injure any persons who come in contact with them.

It will be observed that the bobbin centres lie in the plane of the wheels or discs which carry them, and the bobbins are not,as heretofore, disposed in carriers which are pivoted between plain wheels or discs.

Suitably spaced apertures are provided in the wheel or disc 6 for the passage of the material from the preceding disc 5 through the disc 6 to the lay disc which is'in the form of a sprocket wheel 31 mounted on the main shaft 1 and serving to actuate the usual haul ofi' gear through the usual reduction gearing. Guide eyes 32 may be provided to guide the material throughthe apertures 30.

Ive claim-- 1. A rope and cable-making machine of the sun and planet type, comprising a hori' zontal main shaft, plain Wheels or discs mounted thereon, circular openings in the plain wheels or discs, bobbin housing rings mounted in the said circular openings, means for mounting bobbins in the interiorof the bobbin housing rings and means for holding the bobbin housing rings against rotation about their own axes at will.

2. A rope and cable making machine according to claim 1 comprising pivots provided in the bobbin housing rings for mounting the bobbins on the said rings with their rotary axes inside the plain wheels.

'3. A rope and cable making machine according to claim 1 comprising gearing for holding the bobbin housing rings against rotation about their own axes.

4. A rope and cable making machine according to claim l'comprising meshing gear wheels which control the bobbin housing rings on one of the plain wheels. 5. A rope and cable making machine according to claim 1 comprising teeth provided on the bobbin housing rings, and a toothed loose sleeve provided'on the horizontal main shaft and meshing with the teeth of the bobbin housing rings on one plain wheel and the teeth of the bobbin housing ring of an other plain Wheel. 1.

6. A rope and cable making machine according to claim 1 comprising teeth on the bobbin housing rings, spindles mounted on the plain Wheels, and toothed wheels provided on the spindles and meshing with the teeth of the bobbin housing rings of one plain wheel and the teeth of bobbin housing rings of another plain wheel.

7. A rope and cable making machine according to claim 1 comprising a bossed disc plate mounted on the horizontal main shaft which carries the plain wheels or discs, bosses connected to some of the bobbin housing rings and supported by the bossed disc plate, gear wheels mounted on the said bosses, gear Wheels loosely mounted on the horizontal main shaft and connected to the gear wheels on the bosses, and means for holding those gear wheels which are mounted on the horizontal main shaft against rotation.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification at Mansfield in the county of Nottingham, England, this 3rd day of November, 1931.

THOMAS WOOD.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification at Mansfield in the county of Nottingham, England, this 3rd day of November, 1931.

GEORGE HERBERT HOUFTON. 

